Electromagnetic interference shielding performance of epoxy composites filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes/manganese zinc ferrite hybrid fillers

An effective electromagnetic-interference (EMI) shielding epoxy composite has been fabricated with a combination of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and manganese zinc ferrite (MnZn ferrite) fillers. MWCNTs were functionalized to improve dispersibility while manganese zinc ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized via the citrate gel method. The EMI-shielding performance of the fabricated composites was examined. It was found that the composite with a filler ratio of MWNCTs to MnZn ferrite = 3:1 obtained the highest EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), with the shielding mechanism dominated by absorption. In addition, the EMI shielding performance of composites was improved by increases in the filler loading and thickness of composites. Composites with a filler loading of 4.0 vol% and thickness of 2.0 mm achieved an SE of 44 dB at 10 GHz with the assistance of conductive silver backing. This EMI SE is better than that of composites filled with single conductive filler and comparable with that of commercial EMI absorber. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.